Category Archives: Site news

I don’t know about you, but it was nice this week to wake up to a set of election results that didn’t make you think, “Oh no, not again…”. And so, thank you to all of you, whether you won or lost, for doing so much to lift the spirits of Liberal Democrats up and down the country.

Here in the Creetings, we’ve got rogue peacocks, and you’d be amazed just how noisy they can be. Luckily, if all else fails, one of my fellow Parish councillors is a pretty good shot…

And so …

Good morning, once again, and welcome to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. You might never guess that I’m a member of the Federal International Relations Committee…

I’ve been here to attend the ALDE Party Council meeting that took place on Saturday, and I’ll be reporting on the mood at that meeting later in the day. Also, I’ll be covering progress towards a European Liberal manifesto for the 2019 European Parliamentary elections, and the selection of a Spitzenkandidat for the Presidency of the European Commission.

It was another punishing week for the Government in the …

Having managed to get into a country that doesn’t exist last week, it would be nice to be somewhere less absurd this week. Unfortunately, I’m in Brexit Britain… However, a responsibility is a responsibility, and so I take up the baton as LDV’s Monday Editor again.

Today sees the 480th anniversary of Christian III of Denmark entering his country into the Schmalkaldische Union, and the 153rd anniversary of the end of the American Civil War after the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse.

So, what do we have for you today?

Harry Samuels makes his debut in response to last week’s criticism of the sugar …

It’s a long way from Mid Suffolk to Southport. Actually, it’s a long way from Mid Suffolk to any of the Party’s usual Federal Conference venues, which may explain why I didn’t travel up. Conference isn’t, after all, everyone’s cup of warm beverage…

That does mean that I’ve had some time to prepare for today, so what do I have for you?

In light of the decision by Conference to refer back the Macdonald Report on the Party’s disciplinary procedures, I offer some thoughts from the perspective of someone who sits on Appeal Panels. I’ve tried to be reasonable…

For the benefit of …

It was, supposedly, on this day in 1541 that the city of Santiago was founded, and in 1818, the nation it is the capital city of became independent from Spain. And that is a happy coincidence because today is brought to you from Valparaiso, Chile. As you read this, I’m asleep, but that doesn’t necessarily stand between a Day Editor and his/her duty.

But enough of my travel schedule, what have we got for you today?

We kick off with a report of November’s ALDC Kickstart weekend, designed to encourage some of you to attend the similar events that are scheduled for …

It seems that the forecast for the coming week is for temperatures to drop a bit. So, be like me and make sure that you wrap up warmly, especially if you’re campaigning for the May elections!

This week, I’m hoping for a sign, any sign, that the Government has a clearly stated plan for how it is going to handle negotiations with the European Union. Admittedly, there are a number of potential plans out there, but as there isn’t an apparent majority for any of them, we may have to keep on waiting.

Today …

Good morning, on the 328th anniversary of the summoning of the Convention Parliament by Prince William of Orange to discuss ruling jointly with his wife Mary – an occasion when the English positively welcomed an intervention from the Continent… And it’s also the anniversary of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, which may feel a bit familiar to those of you who’ve been members for a few years…

So, what have we got for you today? Well, Federal International Relations Committee (FIRC) has concluded that it needs to reach out to the wider membership more effectively (some might suggest ‘at all’), and …

Good morning! Yes, it’s the last Monday before Christmas, and politics is, in theory, winding down towards the transition to peace and goodwill to all. And yet, the DExEU equivalent of Bob Cratchit is probably hard at work preparing for Phase 2 of the Brexit negotiations. Not an enviable task, I suggest… If you’re watching, Bob, here’s a cheery penguin to admire…

We’re expecting a fairly quiet day here at LDV Towers. I’ll be taking my regular look ahead at this week in the Lords – yes, they’re still there – and we …

As Britain recovers from the chaos that a few inches of snow wrought yesterday, today is brought to you from Creeting St Peter, my small but perfectly formed Suffolk village. We’ve had an inch or so here, mostly yesterday morning, but whilst there’s broadband, there’s hope, I’m told.

Talking of chaos, it seems like Government ministers have spent the weekend queuing up to sabotage Theresa May’s deal with the European Union. One does wonder about the wisdom of publicly talking about how and when the deal might be reneged upon, and with the …

Liberal Democrat Voice comes to you this morning from Amsterdam, at the end of a weekend in which it became clear that Europe is preparing to move on with, or more probably without, the United Kingdom.

So, what have we got for you today? We’ll kick the day off with some thoughts from John Pugh on regional liberalism as a means to rebuilding our presence in local and national government.

My usual preview of the week in the Lords will follow, and we’ll have news of the elections for the ALDE Party Bureau, which …

There is a certain irony that, after a week which saw controversy over the question of UK eligibility for the award of the 2023 European Capital of Culture, that Liberal Democrat Voice is brought to you today from Timişoara, România’s third city. I’m here having taken part in a conference on Europe organised by a new political party here in Romania, the Uniunea Salvați România (Save România Union), and I’ll be offering my impressions of the event, and reporting on the speech given there by Ros Scott.

Otherwise, what else do we have …

Week 3 of my return to the frontline, and it seems to be getting a bit easier, somewhat like riding a bike. Admittedly, I haven’t ridden once of those for at least three decades, but nonetheless…

Today is the 1151st anniversary of Pope Nicholas I answering the envoys of Boris in relation to the creation of a ecclesiastical establishment favourable to Bulgaria. He sounds a lot smarter than our Boris. Also, on this day in 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote;

…but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes…

He …

And so, a relatively quiet day has come to an end at LDV Towers. Thank you to our contributors, readers and those of you that have added to the debates here.

Time for some final thoughts…

We now know that the identity of the thirty-six Conservative MPs alleged to have behaved inappropriately is now known by at least two media outlets, following the Channel 4 report earlier this evening. It does trouble me that there is a risk that, in having the information, but not making appropriate use of it (and that doesn’t necessarily mean publication as much as passing it on …